A refrigerator is an apparatus for use in storing food at a low temperature and may be configured to store food in a frozen state or a refrigerated state depending on the kind of food to be stored.
The interior of the refrigerator is cooled by continuously-supplied cold air. The cold air is continuously generated by a heat exchange action of a refrigerant according to a refrigeration cycle consisting of compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation. The temperature of the cold air supplied into the refrigerator is uniformly transferred to the interior of the refrigerator by virtue of convection. Thus, the food existing within the refrigerator can be stored at a desired temperature.
In general, the refrigerator includes a main body comprising a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a front surface thereof opened. A refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment may be provided within the main body. A refrigerating compartment door and a freezing compartment door for selectively closing opening portions may be provided on the front surface of the main body. A plurality of drawers, shelves and container boxes for storing different kinds of food in an optimal state may be provided in the internal storage spaces of the refrigerator.
Adjustable legs which support the main body in the positions between the main body and the body installation floor surface may be provided under the main body of the refrigerator. The height of the main body from the floor surface may be adjusted by adjusting the length of the adjustable legs. In this case, the adjustable legs may lift up the front end portion of the main body so that the front end portion of the main body is positioned higher than the rear end portion of the main body. As a result, the main body is inclined downward from the front end portion toward the rear end portion thereof. If the refrigerator is installed in such a state, it is possible to provide a convenience in that, even if a user does not push an open door backward, the door is self-rotated backward and automatically closes.
Conventionally, top-mount-type refrigerators each comprising a freezing compartment positioned at the upper side and a refrigerating compartment positioned at the lower side constitute the mainstream of refrigerators. In recent years, however, there are commercially available bottom-freezer-type refrigerators in which a freezing compartment is positioned at the lower side in order to enhance the user convenience. In the case of the bottom-freezer-type refrigerators, the frequently-used refrigerating compartment is positioned at the upper side and the freezing compartment used less frequently is positioned at the lower side. This provides an advantage in that a user can conveniently use the refrigerating compartment. However, in the bottom-freezer-type refrigerators, the freezing compartment is positioned at the lower side. This poses an inconvenience in that a user bends at the waist to open the freezing compartment door and to take out ice.
In order to solve such a problem, in recent years, there is commercially available a refrigerator in which a dispenser for dispensing ice is installed in a refrigerating compartment door positioned at the upper side of a bottom-freezer-type refrigerator. In this refrigerator, an ice-making device for making ice may be provided in the refrigerating compartment door or the interior of the refrigerating compartment.
The ice-making device may include an ice-making system provided with an ice tray for producing ice, an ice bucket which stores the ice thus produced, and a feeder system which feeds the ice stored in the ice bucket to the dispenser.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an ice tray provided in a conventional ice-making device. Referring to FIG. 1, in a conventional ice tray 30, a plurality of ice-making spaces 33 capable of retaining water and a plurality of partition walls 32 for defining the ice-making spaces 33 are formed on the upper surface of a tray body 31. A water supply port 35 capable of supplying water to the ice-making spaces 33 is formed on one surface of the tray body 31. Water supply grooves 32a are formed in the partition walls 32. Thus, the ice-making spaces 33 are coupled to one another. Accordingly, water supplied through the water supply port 35 fills one of the ice-making spaces 33 and moves to the next ice-making space 33 through one of the water supply grooves 32a. As a result, water sequentially fills the ice-making spaces 33.
Since the main body of a conventional refrigerator is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the floor surface, the ice tray is also inclined at a predetermined angle. Thus, water cannot smoothly move through the water supply grooves of the ice tray. This poses a problem in that the water settling to the ice tray is not uniformly distributed.